Sexton
An English masculine name derived from the word "sexton", referring to a church officer.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Sexton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sexton today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sexton births was 1917 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sexton. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sexton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1917
6 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1975 SSA rank
#6,191
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Sexton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sexton from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sexton by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sexton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sexton
The given name Sexton has its origins in the English language, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old English word "sexton," which referred to an officer or clerk responsible for the maintenance and care of a church, churchyard, and its associated buildings.
During the medieval period, the role of a sexton was highly respected within Christian communities. They were entrusted with crucial duties such as ringing the church bells, digging graves, and maintaining order during religious services. The name Sexton became associated with individuals who held this esteemed position within the church hierarchy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sexton can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, including Sexten and Sextein, indicating its widespread use during that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sexton. One such figure was John Sexton (1512-1560), an English composer and organist who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. Another prominent bearer of the name was George Sexton (1844-1901), an Irish-American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th Mayor of Chicago from 1890 to 1891.
In the realm of literature, the name Sexton gained recognition through the works of the American poet Anne Sexton (1928-1974). Her confessional poetry explored themes of mental illness, gender roles, and personal struggles, earning her numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1967.
Another noteworthy individual was Ralph Sexton (1890-1963), an American architect known for his contributions to the Art Deco style. His most famous work is the iconic Kress Building in Houston, Texas, completed in 1938 and now recognized as a historic landmark.
Finally, in the field of sports, the name Sexton is associated with Kyle Sexton (born 1985), an American professional motorcycle racer who has competed in various Superbike and Supersport championships throughout his career.
People
Sexton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sexton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sexton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sexton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sexton going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Sexton a common name?
We classify Sexton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sexton most popular?
The single biggest year for Sexton was 1917, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sexton is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sexton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sexton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sexton in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sexton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sexton in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sexton can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Sexton?
Find out how many Americans are named Sexton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.